The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-08-18
Scr0uIu

ously prosecuted until all these lands sL.r
nave been classified or the appropri-
a1lon exhausted. Upon this work ha
Is now engaged. In the one month
winch has elapsed since this act tool
erect he has caused to be prepared from
the records of the general land Office. sen
arate abstracts or lists of all the unsnla
school, university and asylum lands in
every county; this work being necessary
as preliminary. He has equipped ana
put to work about thirty classifers, abont
ten OF whom are operating in your repre-
sentative district. These classifers are
now constantly reporting, and within sixtv
days, it is hoped, the work will have pro.
crossed sufficiently to be in advance of all
demands for purchase.
And now, Mr.. Browning, to come down
to the subject which is the burden of vour
letter and the chiefest cause of
your unrest and discomfort. In this
one month since the law has been in force,
the commissioner has, Gin his discretion,
leased about four million acres of land.
most OF which has, since the days of
Adam, been as free as the wind.
-Four million acres !! Why that is as
much as was leased in four years under
the act of 1888. It is not strange that
you and your personal organ should say
that the land board was bad enough, but
the commissioner is worse" or words to
That efect;and that somebody had Jump
ed from the frying pan into the fire."
That he did not make the law is the onlv
apology the commissioner has to offer; it
Its simply his painful duty to execute it.
When your next letter to the "correspond
ing clerk"is answered,you will probably be
informed that "a great many leases are
being made STILL"
And now do you honestly think that
these leases, made subject to classifica-
ton which will class as agricultural all
lands smooth enough to be ploughed and
fertile enough to be productive, and sub
Ject to the rights of all settlers now upon
the land, will impede the settlement? win
a lease so conditioned and hedyed around
arrest for moment the onward march of
the home seeker? Will actual settlers.
genuine and bona fide sure enough,
wlthin the next two or three years want
many sections in the Panhandle which
are too rough to be ploughed or SO poor
and rocky as to be unfit for agriculture?
Lands of this kind in Travis
and Williamson to-day are either un-
occupied commons or poor pastures.
In your letter you make but few
extracts from the law; you quote small
part OF only two or three sections of a law
which contains twenty-six sections. Sec
ton IL declares that ''It shall be unlawful
for any person to fence, use, occupy or
appropriate, etc., ETC., any of the lands,
etc., ETC., without having first obtained
lease OF such lands, in accordance with the
provisions of this act" Then follow the
penalties for violation of this, which,
when enforced, are simply ruinous.
Do you really expect Governor Ross to
enforce this provision of the
act after the commissioner Gin
his discretion" may have refused to
lease the land? Do you ex
pect Governor Ross to ruthlesslv
Destroy the cattle interests of Texas by
one part of wise and Just law
While the commissioner has denied those
interests the protection of another part of
ne same law? No, this law as whole Is
harmonious, and under a wise
discretion will operate successfully and
With beneficent results to the whole neo-
lie.
In order to labor the more intelligentlv
o this end, it is my intention to visit
our section during the present month.
dy appointments will put me in Claren-
len on the 22d proximo, and in Mobeetie
m the 24th. With great respect, your
'oeolent servant, R. M. HALL,
Com'r G. l.. O.